Ep 72 Celebrating Two Years of Podcasting Journey: A Look Back and What's Ahead

Get ready to celebrate"Thyme 4 Tea with Mikita" podcast, which hits the 2-year milestone! Discover how this podcast has helped me find my voice and challenged me to live my truth. Listen as I share my journey filled with ups and downs and valuable lessons learned along the way. From technology struggles to experimenting with different formats, I offer tips on how to get started without breaking the bank. Discover the three most amazing things that have happened to me thanks to podcasting.
I reflect on my growth, mindset, and what I've learned thru podcasting which has allowed room for creativity and flexibility. In this podcast, I share some of my regrets and offer advice to those starting out. Connect with me on Instagram and enjoy free resources available to help you in your journey. Tune in every Tuesday!
Get inspired and empowered and always remember to trust the process. Namaste!

[00:00:01] Starting a podcast and celebrating its anniversary
[00:04:36] The Power of Podcasting for Finding Your Voice
[00:08:43] Personal Growth through Podcasting
[00:13:01] Overcoming Tech and Workflow Challenges in Podcasting
[00:17:13] The importance of experimentation in podcasting
[00:21:36] Starting a Podcast: Lessons Learned
[00:25:57] The Amazing Journey of a Podcaster
[00:30:37] Building a Community of Active Listeners
[00:35:15] Call to Action & Resources for Listeners

Show Notes
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Transcript

Mikita S: 0:01

And I remember that someone walked up to me and they, it was a lady, and she said, so who are you? And before I could even respond, she told me, well, you have to be someone because if you won't, you wouldn't be here. And that was my reminder to stand in my truth, to stand tall and to own who I am. To own my voice, to own my identity. Hey there. I'm Mikita, a small town girl with Big Dreams, who started a podcast with an old headset and a laptop at my kitchen table, and made my dreams come true on my podcast. Time for Tea with Mikita. We chat about living life unapologetically on your terms from career advice, entrepreneurship, relationships, and everything in. This is your one stop shop for real conversations and inspiration. If you're looking for connection, then you've found it here. Join me every Tuesday as we dive into those, sometimes hard to have conversations. So grab your cup of tea or coffee and get comfy because this is time for tea with Mikita, and the tea is definitely. Cue the confetti and start popping the bottles of champagne. Let's cue the confetti and start popping bottles of champagne. I am so excited. I'm celebrating my two year podcast anniversary. That's right. Time for tea. Mikita has been on, um, for two years and it's super amazing. If anyone would've told me five years ago that I would be hosting a podcast, I would've been like, you're crazy. I feel like that's the power of someone recognizing something amazing in your, in you that you don't necessarily see in yourself. So it has been an amazing journey and I just can't wait to see what's next for me for this amazing. So let's get started. First of all, thank you. Thank you for everything, for showing support, for listening, for just, you know, sharing and leaving amazing feedback for me to continue to show up and do what I love and provide valuable insight. And that's what I wanna continue to do each and every time I hit. I want to give something amazing of myself to you guys, and I'm just glad that you have felt that it has been valuable and I just wanna keep showing up and doing what I love. So thank you and. So this episode, you guys, I'm gonna be talking about my podcast journey because it's been amazing and crazy and scary and ugh. There's just so many emotions that go into it, so much time and effort, and yet I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, seriously. All right, so let's dive into my journey in podcasting. I know some people ask me all the time, like, have you always wanted to do podcasting? And the truth is no. And some people tell me all the time that it's, it's so natural listening to me. It just feels right. But the truth of this story is that podcasting was never my idea. It was my husband's idea. I have to give Sam credit because he saw something in me and he was like, Is something you should be doing. I, I can see you. I feel that you would embody this and give so much valuable insight to people. And honestly, I thought it was crazy. I was like, yeah, nope, not your girl. Seriously. I was just like, no, I can't. And the reason for that is I am such an in introvert and I am. I don't wanna say shy, but I just have so much anxiety of meeting people and talking to people, and I was like, this is really gonna challenge me. And it did. It challenged me to put myself out there to show up, to find my voice in really discover who I am as a person. And also it challenged me to, Live what I spoke, you know what I mean? Because sometimes it's easy to tell people you should do this, or you know, it's, it's easy to tell the people what they should be doing, but it's different when you not only have to do it, but you gotta show up and be yourself and show that you can do it as well. You know what I mean? Because you have to lead by example. So it's been. I will tell you, I'm not that surprised that I ended up loving podcasting because as a kid I can remember walking out on my back porch and giving the best speeches and talks a eight year old could give, and everyone would be my audience. You know, just, I had this wild imagination growing up. The trees, you know, any stray cat or dog, they were all a part of my audience and I spoke to them and I just gave them whatever information that I had. So if I learned something new in school, if I read a new book, I would just go out on that back porch and I would share all that knowledge to my fake audience. But it didn't just stop there because when I got older, when I was a teenager, I would pretend I was a host of a show and the show was called The Keita Show, and it was so funny because this always took place at my iron house because, um, they really. Embodied my craziness and just allowed me to be me. So when I was there, they would pretend to be my guest and they would be celebrities, models, actresses, actors, and they would allow me to interview them and pretend to be guests on my show, which was super amazing. And I think it was fun for all of us because it gave us something to look forward to cuz they knew if I stayed. We were definitely gonna have the key to show the next day, and it would be amazing, and we would laugh and we would have so much fun. So I'm not too surprised that even though I was reluctant to start the podcast, that I ended up falling in love with podcasting. Now, I will say that the one thing that really I learned a lot was I learned how to manage my. And be very efficient about it because podcasting takes a lot of time from recording, editing, graphics, publishing, um, caption creation, posting, all of that stuff, just like it's very time consuming. And I had to learn that if I wanted to do this thing, if I really wanted to give it my all and do my best that I had to show. So I had to take the time out to create, which surprisingly was fun. I never, ever dreamed that I would be this creative person that could do graphic art, that could, you know, come up with real ideas and stuff like that. But it really took me out of my element. It made me tap into my creative. Part of myself, because I, I truly believe that each of us, including you, my friend, have this amazing creative side that we don't always allow ourselves to explore because we feel like, oh, someone else does it better. So I just stick to what I know. But the truth is when you start being creative and you surround yourself with creative people, it's amazing what you come up with. It's amazing how good you feel just showing up for yourself and exploring all of the things that make you uniquely you. Which leads me to the fact that with podcasting, I also learned to own it, to own my voice, to own my message, and to own who I am as a person. I remember the first time I used my podcast to get a media passed, and I went to this big. And I remember walking in and feeling so insecure, like, I was like, why? I don't even, why I'm here. You know, maybe this is too much for me. Like, I just, I didn't feel like I belonged in that space and I was so nervous and I was so afraid of, you know, just feeling out of place. And honestly, I just, I felt like I, I didn't wanna be this person that was, And feel unseen and unheard. And I remember that someone walked up to me and they, it was a lady, and she said, so who are you? And before I could even respond, she told me, well, you have to be someone because if you won't, you wouldn't be. And that was my reminder to stand in my truth, to stand tall and to own who I am, to own my voice, to own my identity, and never, ever shrink in that any space, any door that is open, it's meant for me to go through. So I want you to know that if you are ever in a. You are ever invited or you break open breakdown doors, someone says, Hey, pull up a seat at the table is made for you. Don't ever shy away from that. Don't ever feel like you don't deserve to be there because you wouldn't be there if you want somebody and you are someone and you're doing amazing things, so don't shrink. Never shrink. I will also say podcasting has allowed me to express myself in ways that I never knew possible to speak on subjects that really matter to me because I don't think there is nothing more important than finding the courage and confidence to be yourself, to live the life that you want, regardless of what that means for you and that you. Redefine what that looks like. I like to think about self-care as this thing that doesn't have to fit into a box. It doesn't have to have a name. It doesn't define this one specific thing. It encompasses every part of you. Your whole life, from your relationships to your careers, to the music that you listen to, how you spend your time, how you create space for yourself and the people that you have in your life. How you show up is part of your self care. And it can be redefined based on the given day, the given time, how you feel. And I am always challenging people to redefine it, to figure out what it means to them, what it looks like to them. Change your mindset and your beliefs about different things because we grow up with these set of beliefs that you have to have an X amount of money, you have to have these type of connections to, to make it to be. But the truth is you can create your own community of people. You know, every day you wake up, you get to decide how you want to show up in your space, who you want to have around you to celebr. You know what I mean? And that's, that's what podcasting has been like to me. It's been like creating this amazing community with you and then creating and fostering that community of support. And my mission and goal is to continue to support you in any way. But the truth of the matter is you also support me. You know what I mean? Like, I would not be doing this amazing thing as if it wasn't for you. So for that, I will forever be thankful for this amazing outlet and opportunity. Now, I will say podcasting has been a learning curve, especially when it comes to technology. For those who know me, you know that I love technology, but I don't always feel like I am the tech savvy person. I'm really not. I just. I, I, I don't know, it just always feels too much and so overwhelming. And I got to a point where I hated to learn new things. Like it was just like, now I gotta sit and watch this tutorial for an hour and then try to implement this stuff and it just seems like too much cause I need to be over here creating. I, and I just feel like I never get it. I'm watching this thing twice, I'm taking notes, and it's just too much if you've been there when it comes to technology. I'm here with you all the time, but what I did manage to do was to change my mindset around how I learn. I reminded myself that I am capable of learning and so are you. Some things come easier to me than others, and that's okay, but if I'm willing to put in the work to take the time to learn something new, then it will be worth it in the. Because no one is an expert in the beginning. And that's the thing I think I really had to get in my mindset is that I wanna be this expert at learning this new thing, but I'm just figuring it out. So no, I can't be the expert and that's okay. And the most important thing is, is giving myself the okay that I may not get it the first time around. I may have to work at this thing. I may have to watch several tutorials until I find the the right. That speaks to the way that I learn. I always felt like I was this, um, that I learned from listening, like through lectures, and maybe that worked when I was younger because my mind was sharper and I was really able to memorize different facts without having to study. But what I've learned since I've been older, I can listen to whatever you say, but until I'm actually doing it, putting hands on, I have no clue. It's not gonna click because I'm the type of person that has to know the reason why. Why is it this way? Why does it have to be done like this? Because I have to understand the process to understand how to, how to get it done. So I really learned my learning style and what work. What really worked best for me when it came to getting a good grips on this whole technology piece, because it's been crazy, and also because I am a solo podcaster. Everything kind of falls on me. You know? I pretty much do it all, and sometimes that can be stressful. I know last year I had this kind of like burnout period where I just. Completely done. And I think that's just kinda like the first year of doing everything and finding that flow. And I really had to start organizing things, um, setting up my flow and how I wanted things to go. And also, I will say, Regardless of what you're doing, whether you're podcasting, you're in a new career, you're trying something different, you're working on this passion project, whatever, whatever you are working on, don't be afraid to change it up, to switch it up. You don't have to stick to something that you feel is not working. And you can feel free to experiment as much as you want. And with podcasting, that's what I did. There are some episodes if you listen to them. I experimented with narrative, um, doing narrative podcasting because I love listening to narrative podcasting. And I was like, Ooh, I wanna explore this. And then, you know, I was like, Ooh, you know, I wanna try. And it's okay to experiment, to try different things. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work, you know? But you have to find what works for you. You have to find the joy and the love of what you do. And that means trying different things. I mean, I've trained my whole podcast cover art like probably several times I did. I think the only thing that I really never changed is my colors. Purple and blue. I love, I love green too, but I just haven't been able to find a way to plug that green in there to make it really look good. So, but yeah, just be okay with, with change and don't be afraid to, to try it, to try something. Podcasting has really showed me that you can change whatever you want, whenever you want. It's okay. Take a deep breath and breathe. Some things work better than others, and you don't have to stick with it just because you know, you feel you have to. Having flexibility and just that, knowing that, all right, this is what I wanna do, this is how I wanna do it. Because when I started my journey into podcasting, I had no idea what I was doing. I'm just gonna be honest. I had no clue. Of what went into doing a podcast, um, the time and energy it took to maintain it, to do the marketing, to do the promotion and find guests and interview guests. It, it was just totally different from anything that I would've ever. But it allowed me to break out of my shell a little bit. I'm still introverted, I ain't gonna lie, and that's okay too. But I absolutely love the idea of being able to talk to so many amazing people from all around the world. I've talked to number one best selling book authors to photography entrepreneurs. I mean, I've got the opportunity to talk to some dope, amazing people that are creating their own blueprint to success. And I know what that feels like. I know how hard that can be. I know the struggle. I know the tears. I remember when I first built my, my website. That. I remember staying up at like two in the morning crying because it just, it wouldn't work. Like I messed up this, I couldn't figure out how to fix it. It was a aha mess, but in the end, it all worked out. It just takes trusting the process, having the faith, and it comes with some challenges and some struggles. It comes with sitting in the messiness of it. But it also comes with a lot of joy and a lot of happiness. And for me it came as a way, as an outlet to express myself, to build community, to foster relationships. And I'm just grateful and, and I just feel very blessed to have had the support to do this. Now what I wish I would have known before I started there is a lot of things I wish I would've known, but I wouldn't change a thing. So I just wanna start with, I wouldn't change how I got here because. If I would've learned all the things, if I would've did all the, the research and the work, I would've never done it. I would've gotten into the comparison mode of what other people were doing and how they were showing up, and I would've never hit record. I would've never hit publish. So I'm glad I didn't do all of that. But I wish, one thing I wish I would've done in the very beginning was to, Not spend so much money on equipment, you guys, I have like four mics. I have like four mics and I love them all, but I have only one mic that I actually, it's just me. I can only use one mic, but my favorite mic is my road mic. I'm not gonna lie. Upgraded it to the shore mic. And I don't like the shore mic, but I feel like the road mic was made for me. And I have a travel mic. It's the Samsung. Hold on, check this out here. Say it right, because this is the most I love, um, this mic because it has the USB plug to it and you can take it in anywhere. So it's the Samsung q2. And I love it. It comes with the stand and everything, like it has a whole little kit thing that it comes with. So, and it's affordable, so I love it. I, I wish I would have did more research when it came to marketing affiliate links and sponsorships. That's the only thing I think, I wish I would've researched a little bit more because, Podcasting can get it expensive As you grow and as you figure out how you wanna move in the podcasting world, you know, it does cost, um, for certain things. I try to keep my budget, you know, to a certain limit. And I will tell you, if you're thinking about podcasting, I will say the first thing you that you should do is come up with a budget. How much do you wanna spend? And that includes on equipment. It includes, you know, From your platforms, are you gonna be using scheduling, um, apps to put your content out there into the world? Just really think about what you feel you need. And I would start basic, honestly, just basic, because when I first started it was very simple, very basic. I had a free anchor account on Spotify. I didn't do any editing to the first couple of episodes. It was just raw audio. Me recording directly into that bad boy and just, um, I didn't publish it right away. I ain't gonna lie, I didn't publish it. I recorded it and I didn't actually hit publish into April. And you know, that was a very scary moment for me because I don't know what it is we get in our head that when we put out into the universe, this is the thing I love, this is what I wanna do, we automatically. Envisioning and hearing all these negative, um, comments or thoughts. And the truth is people are rooting for you every step of the way. The only person that is doubting you is you. No one else doubts how amazing you are. No one else doubts your capability to show up and to do something great. So, You are having doubts and you're worried about what someone else is gonna say or think, I'm gonna tell you right now, stop. Because what they say or what they think has nothing to do with what you love and how you wanna show up. No one is gonna always like what you do, and that's fine because it's not for them. It's for the people that need it, and that's what matters. The. Now I will say the most psyched thing that happened to me doing podcasting is, so there's, there's a lot, but I'm gonna, I'm gonna simplify it. My first reviews, I was stoked when I first got my first reviews, people actually leaving reviews for my podcast. I was just like, oh my gosh. Like mind blown. So humbled, like I literally cried because it felt so good to know that someone was listening and someone felt that I was making a difference in their lives. So that was amazing. I love hearing from you guys. I love the reviews. The second amazing. Was getting media passes to events. I'm not gonna lie, that is the craziest, dopest thing that has ever happened and scariest thing that has ever happened. But it showed me a lot about who I am. And I recently had a friend, cause I was nervous about going to an event, and she said, I've never known you to back down from a challenge. You constantly push yourself and challenge yourself, and you're sitting here talking. Being nervous. When has that ever stopped you? And it was just a reminder that to get out of my head and to keep showing up. So I got out of my head and I was like, okay, I'm gonna do this thing. It's okay. The third amazing thing was being featured in Richmond, Virginia's magazine. I was in their digital magazine. They did this amazing. Podcasters in Richmond, Virginia. And that was when I say I literally could have jumped. Um, and just, oh man. Even now it's like humbling, like wow. Because I know. I come from humble beginnings. I come from this amazing family. My mom raised me and my four siblings. I have four older brothers. I am the baby. I am the only girl. Um, for those who know, my father died when I was an infant and my mom raised us and we didn't always have much, but we always had love. We always had support. And my mom, And my siblings too, like my whole family, they never made me feel like I could not do anything I set my mind to. Sometimes that level of belief in was scary because I always felt like, what if I fail? You know, what would they think? And what I realized is they didn't care whether I felt a thousand times. They didn't care. I tried it, didn't like it said forget it. Pivoted, went into another direction. The only thing they cared about was whether I was happy doing what I loved. So it was just amazing to be, to be featured, to grow up in a family of love and support. And I don't take that for granted because I know not everyone has the support to try new things to go out there. And, But if you're lacking that support, I'm here for you. I see you, I hear you, and I will support you every step of the way. I do not mind being that cheerleader to give you the extra boost that you need to take it to the next level and whatever that level is for you. So my next piece of advice for anyone, Is interesting. Podcasting is to figure out how much time you want to dedicate to podcasting because it does take time and act yourself. If you never make any money, if you never see the type of downloads you want, would this be something you would continue because it's a growth game. You have to start from somewhere, but the truth of the matter is, That you have to be willing to put in the work and you have to love what you do. Because honestly, when I first, my first couple of months and years into podcasting, my first year, I'll say, cause I'm only two years in, I had, I never really looked at analytics. I didn't care. Um, I just love what I was doing. If five people listen, 10 people listen. I was stoked. Oh my gosh. 10 people download, downloaded my episode. That's crazy. You know what I'm saying? Because just because someone downloads it doesn't mean they're not, they're not listening. So you know, there's a difference there. So I'm just like, five people who don't know me decided to listen to me. And then not only that, some of those people actually decided to write a review and say, Hey, you're doing something great. I mean, Honestly, I'm just, I'm happy for that. I'm, I'm there for those moments. So everything else that happens, whether I get the affiliate links, whether I start getting sponsorships, all of that is icing on the cake. The cake is this right here. It's just sharing and being here in this moment with you guys and sharing with you how far I've. And then in return, you telling me where you're at right now and me supporting you through your next journey, your next steps. That's what I'm in it for. That's the cake. The icing is anything extra that comes with it. So what's next for Time for Tea with Mikita? Honestly, you guys, my dream for time for tea with Mikita is. Probably not this year, but I'm thinking about next year, taking this show on the road for the summer and exploring as many towns and cities as I possibly can, interviewing some amazing local people that are creating and living life on their terms. That's my goal is to do a, I guess you could call it a tour, a podcast tour. And make it live, do live podcast tour with time for tea Mikita and just sit down with some amazing people. So that's what I'm working on. That's my goal. That's how I want to, you know, take my third year and just run with that and just be amazing. Cuz I've always wanted to do that. So that's what it looks like. I don't know. Anything else can happen though. You know? I feel like God put me on this path. He. These amazing people in my life to remind me of my purpose and my destiny, and wherever else he takes me. I'm just gonna trust the process and follow it. I know that every day won't be good. Every time that there's a struggle or a challenge. Doesn't always require you to take action. Sometimes when we're in a struggle, when we're facing a c. Sometimes we have to sit there and just be okay with the struggle, with the challenge, to deal with the emotions, to create space for it, and then we can take the steps to move forward. So wherever you're at, whether you're in the midst of a struggle, a challenge, or you're celebrating a major success, take a. To appreciate all the amazing things that's happening around you, all the amazing people that you've been blessed with in your life. Celebrate the small wins because it's those small wins, those small steps that you take each and every day. It could be as small as I got up this morning on time and I left the house. Exactly as I was supposed to and arrived at work with extra time to go get me a coffee or my favorite bagel, whatever. Those little things add up to big things. So celebrate where you're at. Celebrate the journey that you're on regardless of whether you're in a season of listening, of receiving, or a season of giving. All right, you guys, you know that is all the tea that I have to spill today. This has been such a heartfelt conversation, such a real honest conversation. I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have, and I hope you continue. To listen and share your feedback. It really means a lot to me. Check out the show notes if you want to leave a review and tell me what you think you can do. So there and connect with me. Connect with me on Instagram at Nikita Smith. And not only that, go to my website, beautifully unbalance.com. And let's connect there. I have some amazing free resources just for you to help you where you're at, to get to your next step in your journey. All right. Now, don't forget to join me each and every Tuesday for more delicious hot tea. Until next time, nama.